Italy calls Council of Europe 'shameful' after warning on police racism

30/5/2025 6:28

Italy lashed out at the Council

of Europe on Thursday and defended its police after the European

human rights body named Italy among countries where racist

conduct among law enforcers was a problem.



In presenting its 2025 annual report on Wednesday, the head

of the Council's Commission against Racism and Intolerance

(ECRI) urged Italy to launch an independent enquiry into

evidence that its police disproportionately targeted immigrants.



Bertil Cottier said so-called "racial profiling", by which

the police stop people on the basis of their skin colour or

presumed nationality or religion, appeared to be an issue in

Italy and called on the government to look into it.



Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her deputy Matteo Salvini,

who both lead far-right parties that base their appeal on

law-and-order and the fight against illegal immigration, bluntly

dismissed the suggestion.



"ECRI's words, accusing the Italian police of racism, are

simply shameful," Brothers of Italy chief Meloni posted on

social media platform X on Wednesday.



League leader Salvini doubled down on Thursday, telling

reporters in Rome that the anti-racism panel "should be

ashamed," and calling it "another useless body paid for by

Italian and European citizens, that produces rubbish in return."



The head of state Sergio Mattarella summoned Italy's police

chief for a meeting on Thursday, "to re-confirm the admiration

and trust of the country in its law enforcers."



The Council of Europe did not respond to a request for

comment.



The Strasbourg-based organisation, which has 46 member

states, was founded in 1949 to promote democracy and human

rights in the continent.



The latest ECRI report was an overview of its activities in

2024 and did not specifically discuss the Italian situation.



However, in ECRI's latest country-specific report in

October, it flagged "numerous accounts of racial profiling by

law enforcement officials, targeting especially Roma and people

of African descent" in Italy.